July 15th, 2008 – Des Moines, IA
By any measure, Fulcrum Consulting came off a pretty good year in 2007. Even with a slowing national economy, the organization continues to show growth through the second half of 2008, and is forecasting double-digit growth for the balance of this year. During a recent Growth Company Forum, associate editor of Legends News, Karen Houle sat down with Dan Emehiser, Fulcrum’s COO, to discuss what lies ahead for Fulcrum, the marketplace and the industry.
Legends: 2008 is looking like it might be a pretty good year for you.
Emehiser: Fulcrum has enjoyed double-digit growth rates since its inception. We believe we will show a lower rate of growth for 2008, but still ahead of the industry for the year.
Legends: Is the lower forecast for 2008 due to the economy?
Emehiser: We know that the current slowdown has impacted certain industries, like financial services and some segments of retail. However, we are still seeing an emphasis on performance improvement, operational efficiency and large scale implementations that are helping us to grow. It’s unclear what the long-term economic implications will be to the industry, but it does not feel like the downturn we experienced earlier this decade.
Legends: What impacts has Fulcrum had due to the slowdown?
Emehiser: We have had to rationalize certain aspects of our business operations, but for the most part our pipeline is strong and many of our customers have not shown an indication that they will be spending less. There are opportunities for us.
Legends: What are some of the opportunities you have in your long term forecast for 2008?
Emehiser: On the Professional Services front, we have a good level of demand for traditional consulting and contracting services. Our advantage in this area is the broad range of customer and industries that we have. We are also seeing steady technology spend levels in areas like ERP, Architecture and Ecommerce. As such, we have a steady pipeline of needs for project management, analysis, systems integration and quality management services. With respect to management and financial consulting, we are seeing an increasing level of spend on workforce planning and performance improvement. For us, this means increased service demand to help out with impending workforce migration issues, operational improvement, outsourcing and development of new financial strategies. Fulcrum has enjoyed double-digit growth rates since its inception. We are excited about the opportunities we are pursuing, but we are always looking forward to make sure we are focusing on the right things.
Legends: What are you doing in support of focusing on the right things?
Emehiser: From my experience I know that good organizations change before events change them. We continue to grow and have success, but we always have to look forward. I regularly challenge our organization and ask them what is the next level we can get to? We regularly take a look at how we go to market, what processes we use and what our customers are asking for. Internally, recruiting and retention are big for us, and it includes our new diversity program. Our overall attrition rate gets better each year. Beyond our growth in new customers and revenues, this is the best indicator that we are doing something right.
About Fulcrum Consulting: Drawn to the company’s client focus and consultant first philosophy, large businesses have turned to Fulcrum Consulting for business guidance and the provisioning of IT and Financial staffing services to help them meet their business goals and objectives. Founded in 2003, Fulcrum Consulting has grown to become a market leader in business and technical leadership services. Please direct questions to inquiry@fulcrumconsult.com